John Howard Hinton

Who was John Howard Hinton?

John Howard Hinton was an English author and Baptist minister who published, along with many other works, The History and Topography of the United States of North America together with his brother Isaac. He is the father of surgeon James Hinton and grandfather of mathematician and science fiction author Charles Howard Hinton.

Born in Oxford, he first preached in Reading, afterwards became pastor of a Baptist church in London, and was distinguished as an independent and original preacher, and a zealous advocate for liberty in religion and politics, for example arguing that it was the church's responsibility to punish "violations of morality", such as lying, whereas the state should limit itself to enforcing "offences against society".

In 1840 he attended the World's Anti-Slavery Convention where he was captured in a group painting just in front of Isaac Crewdson.

Hinton died in 1873 in Bristol.